Zara climbed gently up the path. This was her first time really exploring the land of her birth. She had enjoyed a wonderful childhood with her father in their bonded’s realm and had planned on not coming here but the past few nights she had been feeling restless. Ever since Keria, her bonded, had come and had a heart felt talk with her and Zara had opened up about her feelings she had felt an increasing need to wander. She was not yet comfortable enough to venture near to other which is why she was winding her way up the mountain on the farthest edge, next to the ocean. As she reached the top she blew a piece of mane out of her face and squinted over the water, it probably would have been easier to fly but she needed the physical excursion today. When she had left to come on this personal quest her emotions had been intense, boiling near the surface, threatening to overwhelm. Stamping her hoof on the ground she let out a snort of exasperation and did a whole body shake. Sitting down she started meditating, watching the waves.

OOC| General disclaimer: Squeezing this out in the 2 hours before I fetch the Monster and we start cleaning house

BIC| Darroch flew in spirals, experimenting with his odd little wings. He was fascinated by his ability to fly, but also extremely proud. Watching a bumble bee had given him an idea on how to flitter his own wings; and so far, it worked. In fact, it worked well enough for him to have wandered all the way above a string of mountains.

Turning was still proving a bit awkward for him; he rather lacked precision, and he thought that might not change, with the set he was given. Landing on the nearest bit of solid-seeming stone, he twisted back and examined the twiggy wings with a studious squint. His 'leaves' weren't properly leaves - there was substance to them, living flesh. Thin, all the same, but not nearly as delicate as they looked. He could turn them, twitch them in different directions on the bits of branch that grew straight from his bones, flowing with his own blood as they would have sap. It was quite interesting, watching his own body; when he was thirsty the wood and even the leaf-like wings began to shrink, as if withering. If he was hungry they felt brittle. He'd tested that reaction, abstaining of either food or water for so long a time that he passed out; the 'symptoms' never grew worse, though, so he started to think of them as being the same as a dry throat or an empty stomach. Now, the inch-thin appendages quivered from their latest workout. He wasn't at all used to flying, having only recently decided to try it, but he found he liked it. He loved his twig-bases for the wings, too; they gave him a little more maneuverability than he might have had otherwise, letting him move the short little leaf-wings in a far greater range. Because of that he didn't have to hover to a near-stop in order to make a turn, nor was he restricted to banking. He could turn, there was just a lack of precision. He'd never match the sharp spiraling turns that his bonded could make while in eagle form.

Still, it was flight, and that was something itself!

And he couldn't have flown onward, at any rate; there was ocean after this mountain range, and he didn't yet trust himself to go too far over deep water without being prepared to swim. These were new muscles that still needed to grow, after all; he thought some of that precision might come with that growth, and that some of that strength might come with that final growth spurt. He was getting rather sick of this in-between state, truth be told; his legs were still thin and reedy, his horns still slightly blunted, his body still finding the full strength he'd know as a true adult. As it was, he was barely distinguishable from a full-grown Serian save for these small details. For the most part, someone had to know him well to recognize the potential waiting to be unleashed.

Of course, the trouble with not being up to flying onward was that he also wasn't up to flying back. He'd overestimated the strength in those leaf-wings of his; he was stuck on hoof.

Oh well, he sighed to himself, untwisting himself enough to turn his attention to the mountain he'd landed on, part of discovery is learning what not to do first, after all.

With that, he gave a whole-body stretch, let his wings rest against his sides, and began to explore his landing site.

He hadn't spent much time up at the tops of mountains, before. Things grew better where there was more air - and it was less frozen. But even here there was some strange shrubs and something that might have been a type of moss; or maybe it was just the remains of a young tree that had tried to take root. It was hard to tell; mostly, it was pulp.

With a quick scramble he slid sideways, searching for a safe-looking descent even as he turned his mind to this curious environment. Stones skittered, making him pause and watch, wondering if he'd start a landslide of some sort. The roar of the ocean down below seemed dull and monotonous, but the stones were a completely different sort of music. Tilting his head, he watched as a sparse looking bush trembled under the light onslaught, then searched around for anything growing higher. Nothing seemed to have taken root all the way up here at the peak. There was stone, ice, snow, a mare sitting on her rump, boulders, dust where rock had been ground down by wind and time and weather...

Hold up.

Why was there a mare up here, sitting on her rump like a squirrel on alert, as the ocean pounded below?

Well, then. Greetings, stranger, and a pleasant surprise to find another up here. Circumstances had me think myself in for a long descent alone. My name is Darroch, should such interest you. Are you to remain or continue your journey?

Zara was having a hard time centering herself. Meditation was a new thing to her still and was proving difficult with her emotions soaring and the sound of the waves below her. She knew the state of her emotions were exactly why she needed the meditation right now but at the moment she was rather inclined to go for a run, or splash about in the waves.

Her father had recently asked one of the other bondeds in their family to help her with her inner turmoil and to learn how to close down and listen to herself and in the elements around her. Elements weren't exactly her thing but she had given it her all and was doing better than she had at first. The hardest part of learning was the fact that it seemed like whenever they got in to a really good session her mentor suddenly "remembered he had something to do". She snorted and shook her head, her mentor was an odd one, but that was just how Pixie was she guessed.

As she was tuning back in to herself she thought she could have sworn she heard little fluttering sounds, like a bee or a humming bird. Deciding there must be one close by she ignored it and nearly jumped when a voice broke through her concentration. Opening her eyes she tried to focus on the Serian talking to her, when she realized he had introduced himself in a formal manner she stood and gave a gentle bow, acknowledging him. "Good day Darroch, my name is Zara. Im not sure whether im staying or going right now. How is your journey this day?"

Her head spinning she attempted to slow her heart rate. She was still emotional and trying to remember the formal way of introduction she had been taught. She hoped she wasn't going to blow her first encounter in this land.

He blinked, paused and blinked again. She was... Polite. That fact alone surprised him; few, outside of himself and his mother, held to such a strict set of manners, at least that he'd met so far in his young life. But this mare, she knew the formal greetings. It was uniquely strange and, in some odd way, helped put him at ease.

Ah, and then she made every stranger's mistake - she asked him a question. Darroch, unlike the minimal requirements of most social encounters, Darroch would honestly answer.

Oh, most fascinating, he said brightly, all too fascinating indeed. Flight is only a recent discovery of mine, and thus far my journey has lead to this mountain top via the aid of my wings, here.

He turned here and showed her the wings at his side, lifting up one twiggy limb and flexing it in different angles. Like so, he said, and began fluttering his leaf-like appendages so fast that they blurred and a low rustling thrum vibrated in the air, as if a forest in a windstorm. Within moments he managed to lift himself up and forward by a few feet, making a quick pass over her head before landing somewhat heavily in his original position. His wings were still very tired and he was still very new at the whole thing; but mostly, his wings were tired and he didn't feel up to continuing the vibrating onslaught until he'd fully touched down. He didn't mind the awkward landing that resulted; the truth was, he was still quite awkward with the whole thing as he was still learning. And there was no shame at all in learning.

It was a bee that clued me in, he informed her, tucking his wings back against his sides once again, although as extra maneuverability is available to me, along with a wider wing coverage, with three on each side, it's my belief that a tactical advantage could be claimed. Yet, fair Zara, allow me to inquire - fascinating as my journey has proven to be, allowing me a view heretofore unknown, tell me how it can be that you are unaware on rather you are coming or going? That notion itself is quite fascinating; have you no single thought which might guide your actions? Wherein lays your current interest, if it is permissible for me to ask such, and if not, then let such inquiry pass unheeded as my own descent is gladly delayed, that it might be discovered what course you may find yourself upon.

Well, the boy could certainly talk. He got it from his father, he knew. His sire was known to do a bit of rambling when excited.

Last edited by Songhue on Sun Sep 08, 2013 6:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.

She was trying to hold back a smile, she really was, but for the life of her it wasn't working. She grinned broadly to her dismay but managed to hold back a giggle. She was surprised, intrigued, and grateful that while she could tell he knew the formality that she'd also been brought up with that he seemed to be having just as much trouble, if not more, sticking to it at times.

He seemed so familiar yet entirely foreign to her and she knew she'd never met him before. "Ahhh I thought i'd heard a bee before but it must have been you, makes sense." She stood up slowly, almost lazily. She had discovered recently that when her emotions started getting towards the anxious/nervous/excited point, if she controlled her actions to a smooth and slow pace she could in some weird way slow her heart rate and control her emotions. It was one of the things she had been working on with her mentor.

"As for the coming or going" she pause, unsure of how to phrase it best "you see i'm sort of...... learning at the moment. I have been trying to deal with some things and have recently been taught to meditate but was having problems with it so I thought if I came up here I could bet a more peaceful perspective on things and focus easier. But... truth be told... I really just want to go run off and do something like splash in the waves or some such nonsense."

She felt bad speaking out against her mentors teachings, but at the same time she wondered if she should even be calling him that. They had only been working together about a week and he was always getting excited and running off randomly. Not that she minded. She actually liked that he would walk her through it for a minute and then just leave her to ponder on it and give it some practice.

"I bet I sound pretty silly." She could feel herself starting to get hyper again and steadied herself. This was her first time in this land, she couldn't afford to make a complete idiot of herself and be taken seriously.

Ah, now she was in for it. She was a new, interesting thing; quite suddenly, his lingering excitement over his wings simply wasn't there any more. He was utterly focused on her, watching her with a wholly unwavering gaze.

Combine it, of course, he said, squinting slightly and wondering how she hadn't considered such a thing herself. You do know the basis of meditation, if you are attempting to learn such? It is focus. Complete and utter focus. The more you master it, the wider you can expand that focus; but you are still focused. Should you feel an urge for motion while learning to attain such a perfect focus, then do so. Focus entirely on the task; allow all else to be released, to grow calm, because all there is for your mind is that which holds your single focus.

He glanced sideways here and jerked his chin towards the steep sides of the mountain, his eyes barely leaving her for a breath. It was quite the drop - even with the grip of cloven hooves they would have trouble. And neither had cloven hooves.

If you were to be shoved over the edge here, you would no longer be troubled by whatever it is which troubles you, maiden. You would know only the fall; and you would know nothing else until either you found footing once again, or you died. So; you wish to move? It was my intention to descend; so let us move.

With that, he turned and scrambled passed her, sending another small avalanche down the sides; and by no small accident crowding close enough to her as to encourage her to either be swept along or forced to shove him away.

Once these things are released, he called over the sound of tumbling stone and crashing surf, then you may realize what it is you release. It can not be grasped while squirming under your nose, yet you will realize what is suddenly no longer there. If you are clever enough to pay attention. Think yourself clever, miss Zara?

He was nearly on top of her by this point - and speeding up. She was learning, was she? Well, he'd help her learn. Start at the beginning, he'd always been told, and expand from there. Find a single blade, then a single root, then a single drop of life-sap within that single root, and from that point expand until you know of every last bit of life-sap flowing through all the roots of that blade of grass, equally aware of each. Then keep expanding. Eventually, he had mastered meditation; but he'd had a spectacular teacher that always pushed him to expand that awareness, rather than narrowing it.

You begin small; then you grow. So, she had to start small. It couldn't get much smaller than trying to stay alive.

Last edited by Songhue on Sun Sep 08, 2013 6:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.